How ever did I choose Bristol City FC for my team way back there in the 50's when I was a very young child, born in Hallen in Stone Cottages as it is called opposite the King Billy, right in ' Gasland', moved between Brockley Camp for homeless people, onto WSM, to Shirehampton, to Whitehouse St, Bedminster, Hartcliffe, Withywood, ending up the next 11 years in Lawrence Weston. I remember as a boy using the slot tags which you hung on the wall and moved your team/ all league teams up and down the tables according to the 'Green 'Un' league table placings on a Saturday night, oh how we had to wait and queue up for that paper on a Saturday night,my team then and always was Bristol City. I swear to you I never heard of Bristol Rovers till I was 7 or 8 they didn't exist or I just didn't care, I started going with my mum, by about 10 I went on my own in the open end, my heroes in them there days was Bob Anderson and big John Atyeo, I progressed through Fred Ford as manager, The Red Red Robin music pre match, the smell of smoke, beer and urine, 6d for a cup of Bovril, the bus drivers all sitting matchside,smoke clouds plummeting into the sky, the 4 tall floodlights in each corner, as a teenager I was in the East end by now, the surge everytime a goal was scored, the bent crowd barriers, the G-Men (Galley & Garland) Chris Crowe, Bobby Kellard, Ken Wimshurst, Janzten and the Great Gibbo, then came Alan Dicks, Norman Hunter, Joe Royal , Peter Cormack, Gerry Gow,Tom Ritchie (Matchstick Man) Clive Whitehead, Paul Cheesely, Promotion. That magnificent season we got promoted upto the first, we lived off of it all summer, we spanked The Arsenal first away game, I now moved on to the Dolman stand, sunburnt , dazzled by the sun but what a fabulous 4 years until desperation in 1982, the Ashton gate 8, the slide into the 4th and became one of the faithful 4000. I then achieved my ambition and moved to the posh seats in the Williams, The rest is to date you all remember but oh what times, good and not so good, I am glad I am a Bristol City Red.. Now what was I saying about Trevor Tainton, Gerry Sharpe,Dickie Rooks, Ray Cashley,Louis Carey and on and on ...........Up the City.
Just a story about my support for our team, it has been for me a key part of my life, my support, some memories and how I progressed up the stands, Fred Ford, Alan Dicks, Terry Cooper and Joe Jordan, all outstanding managers that impressed me, I really have enjoyed my time and still am.
That is such a hard question to answer, I obviously worshiped John Atyeo, we all did and I still do, Gerry Sharpe was an amazing player and I heard that dreadful snap of his leg but what a winger, Mike Gibson and his pacing the line and at the shout of 'Gibbo' he would leap for the crossbar, all 5ft 9inches of him, Norman 'Bites your legs' Hunter would be my 2nd choice and what a left peg he had, Gerry Gow was a giant of a personality and we did see him here,there and F******G everywhere but I loved them all. Without realising it I have given you a striker, a winger, a midfielder, a central defender and a goalkeeper best trainer(we never called them coaches) Les Bardsley and good old Buster Footman, never see him out of a T-shirt regardless of the weather. I could name Scotty, Tinman, Louis and The Cheese but where do I stop, they all still leave me with a tingle even in my thoughts.
wow, thats a great run down of your City life to date Wize, mines very similar but my story started as a 7 year old in '72, went with my late brother in law, firstly to midweek reserve games , but finally onto first team games on saturdays a year later, stood with him in the open end. From 12 -14 ended up in the schoolboy enclosure at the bottom of the dolman, then around 15 ended up for many a season in the East End, had some amazing times there. I too had all the highs and lows of promotion and relegation, and stood there in the poorly attended games in the 4th div. Could go on forever about players, and cant pick out any one, but obviously Cheese, Ritchie Gow, Tinman Carey Murray Jacki Cole Stead Orr Basso, see it just goes on. Yes its a rollercoaster life as a City fan BUT wow i just love it, must be mad but heyho
I must have been 4 or 5 when City took my fancy, and "the green'un" the whole thing was printed waiting for the back sheet/front sheet the moment all the results were in... and vans used to be loaded and dispatched with the ink "still wet". in CASTLE CARY as I remember it was about 7pm ish or earlier it arrived and never short of hands to unload it There was usually about 3 or 4 cars waiting to take bundles elsewhere as the van we part unloaded then sped off toward Yeovil! Due to my grandfather being blind [ told the story on here before] I was able to read at the age of 4 maybe a bit earlier, not fluent .... this was back around the very early 50's from 1960 to 63 I was away at school, had a little crystal set each Sat around 5pm used to lock myself away in the loo to get rather scratchy results.... I think my first game at AG came around 1963 .... after the boxing night snow .. ateyo derrick clark were 3 that stood out as a memory.... the late 60's saw the "G's " Gibson Garland Galley Gerrys Sharpe /Gow and the Gordons ........ I always remember having a downer on Jantzen .. thought he was not brave enough? Trevor Jacobs was one of my favourite players! make some beefy last ditch tackles come away with ball and run the length and get in a cross! think he might even have scored a couple........... my all time fav was of course my name sake .. I didn't go to a single game next season after he got transferred .... them was the days my first at the gate
I was 8 (in 1969) and as I've told people before and my first ever live game was at Eastville to see the 'others' play Peterborough. The Gas won 3-1. The following week it was Ashton Gate and I've been a City fan ever since although I cant for the life of me remember who the first opponents were. Many highs and many lows over the subsequent years of course. 3 x LC Semi's, the joy of going to and actually winning at Leeds in '74 in the 5th round of the FA Cup before Liverpool spoilt everything in the 6th round. Several Wembley and Millennium Stadium visits....some better than others, but the first ever visit in the Freight Rover win over Bolton (3-0) was very special. Favourite players in all those years, Mike Gibson, Gerry Gow, John Galley, Chris Garland, Geoff Merrick, Norman Hunter, Paul Cheesley, Joe Royle, Sir Bob Taylor, Jackie, Tins, Louis, Kodja and Tammy. Plus countless others...
I started in the 70's - my first game was home to Man City - we won 1-0 (Garland) I'm born and bred in Dorchester - so why City?? Well my best mate at school had come down from Bristol (his Dad was a Bank Manager and moved here for his job). They took me to games ...... and the rest is history!! My favorite player would be Brian Tinnion - with mentions to Gerry Gow, Gary Shelton, Marvin Elliott, Mickey Bell and Scott Murray. From the current crop it would be Korey.
